Make My Cake

You know those foods that make your mouth water just thinking about them?  The cupcakes and cakes from Make My Cake bakery in Harlem do just that for me ...

I would have never known Make My Cake existed if it were not for my manager at my first job, Emilia (who is now a great friend of mine) since she lives right in the bakery's neighborhood.  After raving about it for months, for my 23rd birthday Emilia brought me six (or maybe it was eight?) huge cupcakes from Make My Cake in all different flavors such as red velvet, butter cream and chocolate-chocolate.

Source: Vagues Solaires on Flickr.com

Now, I have had MANY cupcakes and cakes in my day, especially in New York, but their red velvet with cream cheese frosting cupcakes might be the best out there.  In fact, all of the cupcakes were so good that we were able to convince our executive director to let us order an entire butter cream cake for our end of the year party, and believe it or not, the cake was even better than the cupcakes!  If you like vanilla-vanilla cake, this butter cream concoction should be a must eat on your list.  To give light on just how tasty this cake is: One day, when I was still living on 52nd Street I walked all the way up to their 116th Street location (that's over 50 blocks!) on a summer day so I could get my hands on a butter cream slice.  Also, when I have a wedding cake at some point, I know I am going to get a Make My Cake!

Source: makemycake.com

I haven't had Make My Cake in a very long time, so if anyone is passing by anytime soon feel free to grab me something!  From what I remember, cupcakes are about $2-3 and cake slices are $4-5 - they also serve pies, cheesecakes, teas and other sweets.

Make My Cake
Locations:
121 St. Nicholas Ave. at 116th Street (map)
and
2380 Adam C. Powell Blvd. at 139th Street (map)
Hours:
Sun: 9am - 7pm
Mon - Thurs: 8am - 8pm
Fri: 8am - 9pm
Sat: 9am - 9pm

Trucked all the way up to Harlem for a cupcake and now need something to do?
Visit the Dwyer Cultural Center, the only cultural center devoted exclusively to the culture, traditions, and history of Harlem.  The state-of-the-art multimedia center offers live dance, music and theater performances, art galleries, guided tours, film series and educational workshops.

Location: 
258 St. Nicholas Ave. (entrance at 123rd Street between St. Nicholas Ave. and Frederick Douglass Blvd.) (map)
Hours:
Wed - Fri: 12pm -5pm
Sat: 1pm - 5pm

Today is the Chinese New Year!

Source: gotohoroscope.com

Since the Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar, the date changes every year and this year it falls on Thursday, February 3 - TODAY - so get ready for the year of the Rabbit!   I wonder if anyone will give me a red envelope with a penny this year?  In elementary school, we were always sure to receive one for good luck from Mrs. Lum.

In New York, the Chinese New Year means the annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival.  If you have never been expect: colorful floats, marching bands, lion and dragon dances, musicians, magicians and acrobats (to name a few).  The parade winds through the entirety of Chinatown, starting at Mott Street and ends at Worth Street.  After the parade there will be an outdoor cultural festival on Bayard Street with more musicians, dancers and martial artists.

Source: watersideplaza.com

12th Annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival
Date: Sunday, February 6, 2011
Time: 11:30am - 4:00pm
Location: Canal Street South (map)

Looking for a place to eat after the parade?
Check out: Grub Street's breakdown of where to celebrate the year of the Rabbit
and Refinery29's 8 Mouthwatering Chinese Restaurants


Still need more to do downtown before the Superbowl this Sunday?
Head a little further south for some Freeze-Tag (and other childhood games) literally on Wall Street!!!
(map)

Go Out For a Laugh

Something I rarely do is go out  with the intention to laugh - I go out to eat, I go out to drink and I even go out to dance - but not to laugh.  It is kind of weird when you think about it - who doesn't like a good laugh?

Believe it or not, New York has a ton of establishments designed just for people to go out and laugh!  One such place is Comix, a comedy club on West 14th Street and 9th Avenue.  Comix's slogan is actually, "Life's tough. Laugh more," which I definitely think is a great phrase for New Yorkers to hear.  You can find comedians of all levels depending on the night you head to Comix, but I suggest stopping by for one of their Tuesday night New Talent Shows ($15), which is what actually got me into Comix in the first place.  I went to go see my friend Sam Pepper in one of his first stand-up shows over the summer and I was literally blown away with laughter (I honestly do not think I have laughed as much since!).  There were first timers, old timers, TV stars and more all performing on the same stage.  To tell you the truth I was pretty skeptical heading over, but the show was so dynamic it kept my attention (and me laughing) the entire time - the comics only get five minutes each so if you are not so fond of one its no big deal.

Source: Citysearch.com

So next time you need a laugh on a Tuesday, or any night of the week head over to Comix with the intention to laugh!

Comix
353 West 14th Street (map)
Calendar
NOTE: COMIX IS NOW CLOSED

If you are interested in seeing my friend Sam Pepper in action he is hosting an Unknown Comedy Hour on Saturday, February 12 at 7pm (arrive before 6:45pm) at The Duplex (61 Christoper Street at 7th Avenue)

Sam will be performing along with five other comedians - so you better make your reservation now!
($5 entry fee and a two drink minimum)

Prepare for La Lucha

One of the most stressful things to do in New York is to plan a birthday party.  There are so many places to choose from and you want to choose just the right place - a place where you look like you know what's cool and where you know your friends (ALL of them from all different parts of your network) are guaranteed to have a good time.  Then, on top of picking the right bar, majority of the time you need to pick the perfect dinner spot to start the night with your close friends - for those of you planning a party in the East Village I can take away some of that pre-party stress - head to La Lucha.

In anticipation of my boyfriend Andrew's birthday we searched far and wide for an ideal BYO restaurant to get us on the right track before his party.  We were tired of sushi and Italian, so we finally decided on La Lucha, a small boxing themed Mexican taqueria on Avenue A.  After making our reservation we learned La Lucha is not longer BYO (no big loss!) and serves only beer (all beers are from Mexico and are $5 per bottle). 

The interior is decked out in Mexican boxing paraphernalia from old school posters to action figures and a retro movie based on Lucha Libre is projected on repeat across the entire southern wall of the restaurant, which really brings the sensory experience here to another level.

The food follows the boxing theme and is separated by rounds (chips and salsa are provided right when you are seated and refilled all night) - for the first round we tried the guacamole, fried cheese and the grilled corn with chipolte mayo and cotija cheese.   In the second round, we must have tried at least one of each taco, which included different varieties of pork, beef, chicken, chorizo, mushrooms and poblanos.  However, La Lucha really knocks it out in the third round with dessert - we indulged in the 3 leches cake, fried plantains with sweet cream and the fried flour tortilla with anise seeds, cinnamon, sugar and honey.

A taqueria is the traditional place to go in Mexico to gather and prepare before heading to an arena to watch the Lucha Libre - and in New York it is just the right place to gather and prepare among friends for a night spent celebrating a birthday.

La Lucha
147 Avenue A, between 9th and 10th Streets (map)
Hours:
Mon-Thu and Sun: 12pm-11pm
Fri-Sat: 12pm-1am

Hot Chocolate Festival!

Yes, you read the title right, today I am talking about The City Bakery's highly anticipated Hot Chocolate Festival.  Now only five days away, anyone who has participated in this annual event during the full month of February, is probably squirming with excitement by just imaging the creamy flavors of hot chocolate that await.

Check out the calendar of flavors:

source: www.hotchocolatefestival.com

Now, this is not a festival in the traditional sense, but more a festival of flavors.  The City Bakery remains the same (aside from the daily line of people waiting for hot chocolate) and their hot chocolate flavors ($4 - $5 per cup, well worth it!) simply rotate for the entire month of February, however, you can always get their traditional hot chocolate if one of the daily festival flavors does not interest you.  A quick tip - definitely add one of their cloud-like homemade marshmallows ($1) to any hot chocolate you choose.  Also, you must try one of their chocolate chip cookies or pretzel croissants to top off your festival experience (stop by right before close and they hand out two for one baked goods).

source: www.davidlebovitz.com

What flavor are you going to try?

The City Bakery (map)
3 West 18th Street
Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:30am-7pm
Sat 8am-7pm
Sun 10am-6pm

In Good Co.

What food pops in your mind when you think about New York?  I bet you thought about Pizza...

Well, a slew of pizzerias have been popping up all over NYC, truly making this city a pizza lover's dream destination.  One recent addition that rises above the rest is Co. (pronounced company).

In January 2009, Co. was opened by the Sullivan Street Bakery owner Jim Lahey in Chelsea.  Therefore, the focus of your meal at Co. is definitely the bread - the no-knead pizza dough is baked at around 700 degrees in a wood-burning oven imported from Modena (pizzas range from $9-$18).  The toppings are also pretty out of this world.  My favorite is the stracciatella (an extremely creaming version of mozzarella), but there are more exotic choices, such as the veal meatballs, fresh spinach, prosciutto, brussels sprouts, béchamel and chestnuts (oh my!).  In addition to pizza, the menu also offers breads, salads, meats and cheeses, soups and great draft beer options ($8 for a draft, $25 for a pitcher).  

Co. also has long wooden tables that enforce a communal dining experience - believe me, you might come in for some stellar pizza, but you will definitely leave with a new friend or ten. 

Support Co. this Sunday, January 30th at NYCChiliFest 2011.

Co.
230 Ninth Avenue at 24th Street (map)
Hours:
Mon 5:00pm-11:00pm
Tue-Sat 11:30am-11:00pm
Sun 11:00am-10:00pm

Anti Art School

Many people I know are intimidated by art and "artsy" things.  They view art as something you have to have talent for and art events as highbrow and pretentious.  Well, there is something going on in New York (and many cities across the globe) that will turn those assumptions upside down - Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School.

Housed at the Bowery Poetry Club (although, formerly at the Slipper Room), Dr. Sketchy's truly is an alternative art making experience.  It is one part cabaret show (warning: there is nudity), one part drawing class and one part an afternoon spent having drinks with friends at a bar.  The class is full of all sorts of people with all sorts of art making skill levels.  You have to bring your own drawing supplies, but anything you have laying around will do!   

The next class is this Sunday, January 30, with a tribute to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman with Stoya as Death, Johnny Blazes as Desire and Tess Aquarium as Delirium.

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School
The Bowery Poetry Club (map)
308 Bowery
4pm - 6:45pm
$10 online, $15 at the door or $15 for a one-month fun pass